July 22, 2020 meeting

Chairman Barrett called meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. He announced it was being recorded via Zoom, for cable television transmission.

Appointment of Finance Committee member

Julie Mitchell was on hand for an interview. We have one vacancy as Nancy Alexander is not seeking reappointment. Chairman Barrett said Ms. Mitchell will be a wonderful addition to the Finance Committee given her experience and leadership skills. Ms. Mitchell grew up in Town, is a graduate of Lynnfield High School and Cornell University and holds master’s degrees from Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has spent her career working in high tech, and is currently employed by Amazon, where she designs solutions to its fulfillment and transportation operations. She said she looks forward to giving back to the community.

Selectman Dalton said her was impressed by her accomplishments; Selectman Crawford thanked her for coming forward to volunteer. Chairman Barrett said the Board is looking to bring new people into the Town government.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move that the Board vote to appoint Julie Mitchell to the Finance Committee for a term expiring June 30, 2023. Vote was unanimous.

Confirmation of appointment of police captain

The Town held a Civil Service-approved assessment center and four Lynnfield police sergeants signed up for the exam and three participated. The assessment center was conducted by Resource Management Associates, which has administered previous police chief and sergeant assessment centers for Lynnfield. Several tasks and scenarios were included, and evaluators chosen by RMA scored those results and the overall score and results were provided to Civil Service, which also included an Education and Experience score based on state guidelines.

Police Chief David Breen is recommending the appointment of the top-ranked candidate, Sgt. Nick Secatore on the promotional list provided by Civil Service and Town Administrator Robert Dolan, as appointing authority, is prepared to make that appointment with the Board’s concurrence.

Sgt. Secatore is a Lynnfield High School graduate and has been a member of the department for almost 15 years, and has held several roles in the department. He thanked the Town for the opportunity to serve and the Board for considering his candidacy. Chief Breen said the captain vacancy was created by the recent retirement of Captain Karl Johnson. Sgt. Secatore received the highest score based on his performance in the assessment center and his education and experience. He has already been performing several tasks above his rank and is well regarded in the department and the community. He said he was very happy to recommend him for this post.

Chairman Barrett said the Board is aware of the work Sgt. Secatore does behind the scenes. Selectman Dalton said that Chief Breen keeps Board members aware of the contributions of Sgt. Secatore and other department members, and members are well aware of his accomplishments. Selectman Crawford said that he has had many opportunities to work with him and he has been fantastic. He congratulated him on his top rank,

Sgt. Secatore thanked the Board and said he will continue to serve with the integrity required of a police officer. Chairman Barrett said the Board has full confidence in him.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move that the Board vote to approve the appointment of Nick Secatore to the position of police captain. Vote was unanimous.

Change of manager petition, Yard House restaurant

New manager John Michael Lynch’s application was in attendance via Zoom but experienced technical difficulties. Town Administrator Dolan said the Town has worked with Mr. Lynch on the reopening of Yard House under the emergency orders related to the pandemic and said he runs a fine operation. Board members said they reviewed the application and are satisfied.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move that the Board vote to approve the application of Yard House for a change of manager to John Michael Lynch. Vote was unanimous.

Acceptance of resignation from Conservation Commission member

Chairman Barrett said Paul Martindale is moving out of Town and is resigning from the Conservation Commission. Mr. Martindale has served as chair of the commission for several years and was instrumental in the hiring of Planning and Conservation Administrator Emilie Cademartori and the merging of the Planning and Conservation offices. He said he has gone above and beyond and has made a positive impact on the Town. He thanked him for his many years of service.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move that the Board vote to accept with regret the resignation of Paul Martindale from the Conservation Commission effective July 31, 2020. Vote was unanimous.

Appointment of Republican representative, Board of Registrars

Chairman Barrett explained that he incumbent Republican representative to the Board of Registrars is no longer eligible to serve in that capacity as she is no longer registered as a Republican voter. The chair of the Republican Town Committee, under Mass. General Laws Chapter 51, Section 15, was asked to supply nominees for the position, and has provided the name of Steven Galante as the nominee. Town Administrator Dolan said this process follows state law.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move that the Board vote to appoint Steven Galante to the Board of Registrars for a term expiring June 30, 2022. Vote was unanimous.

Request for “No Parking” designation on portion of Grove Street near Calvary Church driveway

Calvary Christian Church has requested that a portion of Grove Street be posted “No Parking” as vehicles parking in that area interfere with vehicles turning in an out of the parking lot. The request was sent to the Town Engineer and Police Dept. for recommendations. Town Administrator said Town Engineer Charles Richter has talked to abutters who wish to have input. The Board agreed to wait for the input of the abutters.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move that the Board vote to table this request until input from the abutters is received. Vote was unanimous.

Eagle Scout project presentation – Jacob McPherson

Eagle Scout candidate Jacob McPherson presented to the Board his proposed Eagle Scout project, a tree identification survey around the common. He explained the methodology used and the data collected for this project, and the cataloguing and data shared with the Conservation Commission and the Department of Public Works. Information includes location, size, type and health of the trees.

Board members praised Mr. McPherson for his work and said it will be very helpful to the Town in its effort to preserve the Town’s trees. They congratulated him on his achievement.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move that the Board vote to approve the proposed Eagle Scout project of Jacob McPherson and ask Town departments and boards to provide any assistance necessary and proper for this project. Vote was unanimous.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move the Board adjourn. The Board adjourned at 6:31 p.m.